


Three Minute Revelation

by GallifreyGod



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Character Study, F/M, Post-Season/Series 02, Semi Heavy Angst, possible unplanned pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 01:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18399938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyGod/pseuds/GallifreyGod
Summary: Seven weeks prior she had begged the world for a sign to make the right decision. Contemplating leaving Hawkins for the rest of her and her family’s lives. A reason: that was what she wanted. Now, it seemed as if that reason to stay would be showing up just as she was ready to leave.She found it even more ironic that Jonathan was constantly blasting ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ and then she was left to ask herself that very question. After she thought she had made the right decision, that stupid little pregnancy test lying on the counter had her questioning every decision she had ever made.





	Three Minute Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> How many words can you fit into someone's life for three minutes? 1238 apparently, lmao. 
> 
> The song that inspired this fic is called Falling in Reverse by EDEN. It's a good song, sets the tone. 
> 
> also, I didn't want the tags to spoil the story so that's why I only put 4.

Terrified. That was the only way Joyce Byers could explain her current state of emotions. Terrified. Fucking terrified. The kind where there feels like a lump has occupied your throat and your palms begin to sweat.

**"Scared is okay. Scratch that- scared is good. Scared keeps you alive."**

She remembered those words; Hopper had whispered them to her in the hallway of the Hawkins Lab while her son was battling some other-worldly virus after she had shed some light on what emotions she was feeling. Although, this time she wasn’t battling for her life against a horde of mutant monsters. That was a different feeling of terror. That was a terror that could end up as life or death, nothing else.

This terror was different. This terror could result in a million different scenarios; some good, some bad, and some unthinkable. This was a quiet terror, a fear that wasn’t laced with adrenaline while she was running for her life. It was small and quiet, but still fierce.

She could ask herself a million times ‘how did I get here?’ and she would’ve never been able to give a complete answer. She didn’t know. She didn’t have a single clue how she could’ve possibly ended up in this predicament. That’s what it was, right? Not a mistake or a fuck up. It was a predicament. It was something ~~she~~ , _they,_ could’ve prevented if they had paid a single thought to it.

Joyce was careful about a lot of things. Even more so after Will came back. She backtracked every single thought and action during her day, weighing the possible outcomes and advantages. It became tiring, constantly fearing that one wrong move would destroy everything she was trying to protect. That’s where Hopper came in. God help him, all he wanted to do was ease her mind. He wanted to do everything he could to numb her mind and anxiety even if it was only for a short time. So, he did.

That was the best way they knew how to describe their, well, relationship? No. A relationship wasn’t the right word because that isn’t what they had. It wasn’t a relationship, it was just sex. At least that's all it was to her. She knew that the moment she and Hopper were alone together, she was able to just stop thinking. No more obsessing over every little detail; just being in the moment.

For once, that seemed like a blessing. But given where her feet were currently planted on the ground, she realized that may have been her mistake. With Hopper, not once had she thought to be more careful, be more cautious and preventative. Where did it lead her? Right into a life-changing predicament.

Staring at herself in the mirror, exhaustion beginning to darken under her eyes and hollow out her cheekbones; bloodshot and tired eyes. What the mirror showed her of her exterior couldn’t compare to what she felt inside. A paralyzing migraine, a crushing case of nausea, and every bone in her lower back feeling as if it were on fire.

She’d be more terrified of the slew of symptoms if she hadn’t been here before. She knew this feeling; recognizing it as it could be from one and only one possible reason.

When the thought finally dawned on her, six in the morning after dry-heaving from nausea, she rushed to figure out the answer. Her house was already packed up, boxes lying around with nothing but the bare essentials left out. A few weeks previous while packing, she had nearly thrown out the single little pink and blue box that had made itself home in the bathroom cabinet. _‘What would I even need it for?’_ she had thought, but changed her mind last minute and decided to hold on to it.

Now, that box lay discarded in the bathroom sink while the kitchen timer ticked away towards her doom. ‘ _Results as early as three minutes.’_ read the advertisement on the box. Three minutes seemed to last a lifetime when it was inching towards the result of a life-changing event. What could she do in three minutes other than shamefully stare at herself in the mirror? She tried counting the water droplets on the mirror from a previous showers condensation. Losing count at 20, she gave up.

Funny how the universe works. Seven weeks prior she had begged the world for a sign to make the right decision. Contemplating leaving Hawkins for the rest of her and her family’s lives. A reason: that was what she wanted. Now, it seemed as if that reason to stay would be showing up just as she was ready to leave.

She found it even more ironic that Jonathan was constantly blasting _‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’_ and then she was left to ask herself that very question. After she thought she had made the right decision, that stupid little pregnancy test lying on the counter had her questioning every decision she had ever made.

She didn’t dare look at the timer she had hastily grabbed from the kitchen. God only knows that it would’ve only been 30 seconds that passed when it felt like a whole generation had passed. Maybe she didn’t want to know the answer. Maybe she could just throw the whole test away and forget about it. Although, things like that didn’t generally work out in her favor. She had to look this predicament in the eye and face it; even when she was fucking terrified.

The word _terrify_ comes from the Latin word _terrificus_. But so does the word _terrific_. Maybe the universe had a sense of humor because this situation could either be terrifying or terrifically exciting; yet they both meant the same thing in a sense of context.

She had to ask herself, did she want this? _‘No’_ the word coming out but a ghost from her lips as her hand ran down her flat abdomen. It was a painful revelation because she’d always thought that life was a precious gift. Why didn’t she want it? Maybe it was the timing that she didn’t want. After Will went missing, every moment of time seemed wrong. How could she bring a baby into this world, especially during this time? People, _lives_ being slaughtered by an unknown monster from a colder version of hell that lived under Hawkins. She’d be doing this new life a disservice by bringing it into this kind of life, _wouldn’t she?_

Running the risk-benefit analysis in her head a hundred times over wasn’t of any use. In a three minute span, she couldn’t come up with a happy medium of what she wanted and what was right. Then she had to consider Hopper; what would he want? Would she tell him? She’d have to, he had a right to know. Would he use this as an excuse to make her stay in Hawkins? He had practically been on his knees begging her to stay ever since he found out she was considering leaving.

This would change everything. But yet, she had asked the universe to give her a reason and now that reason could very much be the possibility of the test being positive.

_Ding!_

_Times up._

_Make a choice, make it now._

_Stick with it. Believe in it._

_Do what you have to do._

 

And with that, she picked up the test and read the result. 

**Author's Note:**

> what do you think the test was? positive or negative?


End file.
